The German-language workshop was attended by over 100 representatives of companies, business associations and governmental institutions. Panellists included Axel Voss, member of the European Parliament; Paul Nemitz, Directorate-General Justice of the European Commission; Barbara Kirchberg-Lennartz, Data Protection Officer of the Deutsche Lufthansa; Jyn Schultze-Melling, Data Protection Officer of Allianz, and Angelika Pohlenz, Secretary General of ICC Germany.

The workshop’s moderator Christopher Kuner, Co-Chair of the ICC Commission on the Digital Economy’s Task Force on Privacy and Personal Data Protection, said: “The protection of fundamental rights and the promotion of innovation and economic progress are defining goals of EU data protection and privacy efforts. Business appreciated the opportunity to exchange views at this workshop and to explain how the data protection rights of citizens can be strengthened without hindering innovation and economic growth.”

The data protection event, organized jointly by ICC, ICC Germany and Deutsche Bank, brought together German-speaking regulatory authorities and policymakers at the Brussels representative office of the German federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg.

The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to pursue an active exchange between EU regulators and ICC experts, and to expand ICC’s long-term contribution to EU data protection issues.